River Blessing at Malmesbury, 20 December 2024

We celebrated the Winter Solstice in Malmesbury on December 20th. Our River Blessing group had been invited by the present Mayor of Malmesbury, Phil Exton. The previous Mayor, Gavin Grant, had attended two of our previous Blessings in Calne, and Didmarton, so it was a pleasure to be invited to hold a Blessing on the River Avon, in the town.


Phil told me that the local vicar had told him, shortly before he joined our River Blessing, that he shouldn’t be mixing with Pagans like ourselves. I was amazed.

Phil Exton, Mayor of Malmesbury being filmed by the Rev Helen James, a member of our group.


In celebrating our Rivers, we are restoring an ancient relationship between the people and the Land on which we live,  that had been wilfully broken by the Church centuries ago. I use the word Land to mean all of our natural environment. Taking the Rivers of our Land to be lifeless dumping grounds for poo and poisons takes away their vitality, their life. Water is the true Source of our life; we can’t live without it.

The water in our Rivers reacts positively to love and laughter being poured into them, instead of poisons. When you have time check out the videos on You Tube by Masuro Emoto, and Veda Austin who have done the research. Laughter and love improves the health of our Rivers; poisons and poo diminish their health.

Rivers as living beings, who’s rights in law that should parallel our own.

Nik Greenheart, a non aligned Druid, and member of our group.

During the ceremony, we each take it in turns to talk about our experiences with water and rivers and springs and wells. Tara, our Water Maiden, the youngest  member of our group, shared her anger and indignation at how the widespread accusations of witchcraft (which carried a death sentence if convicted)  in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,  strengthened the process of us losing our ancient connection to the Land and our Rivers.

Tara reading a poem, next to Carlie who is a member of the Avebury Druid grove

In 1672 fourteen elderly women in Malmesbury were accused of being witches. Four were sent for trial in the Salisbury Assizes and two were hanged. They were accused of murdering small children through casting spells.

Kate Dineen and Tara

At the ceremony, Kate, who leads our work, and Tara, as the youngest. offer our flowers and greenery to the waters of the River Avon; simply to pass on our feelings of love and gratitude for giving us the water we all need to sustain life. Without Rivers, we would not survive. And yet they are being poisoned, day in, day out.


I wonder if Kate and Tara, would have been accused of witchcraft, had they have been living in Malmesbury in 1672, and sent to Salisbury Assizes?

Would the vicar of Malmesbury today want them convicted of a similar offence? We live in such strange times; old prejudice maintaining separation from our Land, and new ceremonial celebration emerging  to restore a much healthier relationship, living side by side.